The UK has one time zone. It uses Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) in winter and British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) in summer, under the Summer Time Act 1972. The clocks go forward at 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of March and back at 02:00 BST on the last Sunday of October. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all change at the same moment.
Current time in United Kingdom's cities
| City | Time now | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| London | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
| Manchester | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
| Birmingham | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
| Edinburgh | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
| Glasgow | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
| Belfast | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
| Cardiff | 11:50 | BST (UTC+1) |
Time zones in United Kingdom
The IANA time zone database lists 1 zone for United Kingdom. Each has its own entry because its clock history differs, even where the current time is the same. The offsets below are for mid-January and mid-July 2027.
| IANA zone | Area | January 2027 | July 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
Europe/London | Whole country | GMT (UTC+0) | BST (UTC+1) |
Clock changes in United Kingdom in 2026 and 2027
Europe/London:
- Sunday 29 March 2026: at 01:00 clocks go forward to 02:00. GMT (UTC+0) becomes BST (UTC+1), and the hour in between is skipped.
- Sunday 25 October 2026: at 02:00 clocks go back to 01:00. BST (UTC+1) becomes GMT (UTC+0), and the hour from 01:00 happens twice.
- Sunday 28 March 2027: at 01:00 clocks go forward to 02:00. GMT (UTC+0) becomes BST (UTC+1), and the hour in between is skipped.
- Sunday 31 October 2027: at 02:00 clocks go back to 01:00. BST (UTC+1) becomes GMT (UTC+0), and the hour from 01:00 happens twice.
Time difference between United Kingdom and major cities
How far each city is ahead of or behind United Kingdom, and how the gap changes when either side changes its clocks between now and the end of 2027.
| City | Now | Through 2026 and 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 5 hours behind | 5 hours behind until 25 Oct 2026; 4 hours behind 25 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026; 5 hours behind 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Mar 2027; 4 hours behind 14 Mar 2027 to 28 Mar 2027; 5 hours behind 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 4 hours behind 31 Oct 2027 to 7 Nov 2027; 5 hours behind from 7 Nov 2027 |
| Los Angeles | 8 hours behind | 8 hours behind until 25 Oct 2026; 7 hours behind 25 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026; 8 hours behind 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Mar 2027; 7 hours behind 14 Mar 2027 to 28 Mar 2027; 8 hours behind 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 7 hours behind 31 Oct 2027 to 7 Nov 2027; 8 hours behind from 7 Nov 2027 |
| Dubai | 3 hours ahead | 3 hours ahead until 25 Oct 2026; 4 hours ahead 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 3 hours ahead 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 4 hours ahead from 31 Oct 2027 |
| Mumbai | 4½ hours ahead | 4½ hours ahead until 25 Oct 2026; 5½ hours ahead 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 4½ hours ahead 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 5½ hours ahead from 31 Oct 2027 |
| Singapore | 7 hours ahead | 7 hours ahead until 25 Oct 2026; 8 hours ahead 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 7 hours ahead 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 8 hours ahead from 31 Oct 2027 |
| Tokyo | 8 hours ahead | 8 hours ahead until 25 Oct 2026; 9 hours ahead 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 8 hours ahead 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 9 hours ahead from 31 Oct 2027 |
| Sydney | 10 hours ahead | 10 hours ahead until 25 Oct 2026; 11 hours ahead 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 10 hours ahead 28 Mar 2027 to 4 Apr 2027; 9 hours ahead 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 10 hours ahead 3 Oct 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 11 hours ahead from 31 Oct 2027 |